Monthly Archives: May 2018

Interning Along the Pumpkinvine

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Hey Pumpkinvine Blog!

My name is Isabela Torres, and I am interning with the Friends of the Pumpkinvine this summer. I was raised in Goshen and graduated from GHS in 2015. I’ve been attending Amherst College in Massachusetts where I’ve majored in Environmental Studies. I’m excited to get to learn about the ecology of Northern Indiana and the opportunity to use that knowledge to contribute to the management and future success of the nature surrounding the trail.

I will be doing a variety of things with the Friends this summer, and you will probably see me out on the trail, posting on the Facebook page, or volunteering at the annual bike ride (for which registration is still open!). I’m super interested in learning more about the history and politics of the trail, along with how management styles have changed as the parks departments became more involved over time.

In summary: I’ll try to contribute to this blog consistently throughout the summer for anyone interested in seeing what I’ve been up to. Thanks for reading!

–Isabela Torres

PS. Here is what I look like so if you see me digging up plants along the trail you’ll know I’m supposed to be doing that — if you see me around in Goshen (or at Los Primos where I work in the evenings) feel free to stop me and say hi!

Soil erosion on the Pumpkinvine requires immediate repairs

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Photo of soil erosion along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trailo

Surface water running off of the trail at this low point in the trail grade caused soil erosion threatening to undermine the asphalt.

Many creeks and drainage ditches cross the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail are often unnoticed because they flow under the trail through small culverts.

Sometimes the culverts are at low points in the trail grade causing rain water to gather at the culvert and flow into the drain ditch at that point. The heavy rains this spring eroded the soil around a culvert between County Roads 1000 and 1100 in LaGrange County. The erosion threatened to undermine the trail. In mid-May the asphalt above the the culvert was removed and the culvert was repaired.

2018 Annual Friends of the Pumpkinivine dinner

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On April 24, we had our 17th annual Friends of the Pumpkinvine dinner at the Crystal Ballroom of the Lerner Theater in downtown Elkhart. It was the first time we had the dinner in Elkhart. Previously, we had rotated the dinners between Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana.

Around 280 attended the dinner — about what we’ve had in previous years. I gave a talk about how patience is rewarded, if certain conditions exist,  citing examples of how patience our supporters have been when there were years when there was little or no progress in building the trail, and how the Community Foundation of Elkhart County was patience in requiring an onsite visit for their $300,000 grant. Both are examples of how they trusted us and we trusted them.

I also mentioned that the Amish churches have become a financial supporters through a fundraising letter we sent to them.  A less obvious way they have become supporters is by the inclusion of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in the 2017 edition of the Indiana Amish Directory..

A highlight of the evening was the poetry reading of the poem that won first prize in our first annual poetry contest. Matt Lind read his poem “Awe” and gave the poem some context. I’ve asked Matt to write down the remarks he made for this blog, but I haven’t seen them yet. I found them very helpful in understanding the poem.  Here’s Matts poem:

Awe
By Matthew Lind

Each day it waits, patiently.
I know it’s there
And even that

Fills me with anticipation.

It is a place where freedom lies
And comfort, perhaps
And awe…

Awe?
Aren’t the Rocky Mountains “awe”?
Maybe Precipice Trail,
Red River Gorge,
Angel’s Landing,
The Highland Trail…

But the Pumpkinvine?

Let me explain.
It is awe, 

Brought down to earth;

 A miracle that forms 

This wondrous NOW.
It does not shout;
It whispers:
“Rider, awake!
Walker, awake!”

There is a place

For majestic mountain peaks,
For the overload of senses
That completely humbles.

Yet here this is:

Of forest and field,
Of understated beauty,
Of awe laid low.
Our back yard
Where we live,
Yet animated by the same
Dizzying atoms
That form Yosemite’s vistas. 

It does not shout.
It whispers:
“Come, walk my path.
Awake!”